Circuit boards disposed inside of consumer electronics are often fragile. As products get smaller and thinner, the distance between the circuit board and the housing of the electronic device is therefore often reduced. In this case, circuit boards may become more susceptible to damage, particularly from externally applied forces having components that are normal to the plane of the circuit boards. For example, such forces may be applied when the electronic device is placed inside a user's pocket or when the user repeatedly presses buttons on the electronic device.
When an external normal force is applied to an electronic device in which the distance between the circuit board and the housing is small, the inside wall of the housing or components disposed between the housing and the circuit board can come into contact with the circuit board (and components disposed on the circuit board) and cause damage. Also, repetitive strain on the circuit board may cause components attached to the board to detach, e.g., from failure of solder connections of a BGA (Ball Grid Array). These failures can result in failure of the product to function, which in turn results in field returns.